First NameLast Name Email Address PhoneYear of BirthNumber of Guest(s)

Ticket Type

Tiny Treats Cupcakes: Inventive Cupcake Flavours in Heliopolis

Published On:
11/12/2013

The number of dessert houses, bakerys and cafes in Cairo is forever growing, with cupcakes still enjoying the bulk of attention. Far from filling us with enthusiasm, we headed to Tiny Treats Cupcakes, situated competitively close to Cupcaker Baker in Ard El Golf.

Using a soft lilac and peach colour scheme, other than just two high tables and stools, the small shop space feels bare and a little uninviting. With a counter stretching across the back, a range of creative cupcakes are on display, along with a selection of take-away boxes.

Specialising only in cupcakes, the only other product on sale was a selection of fun, fluffy decorative banners (15LE plus) to add to your selection, stating celebratory phrases such as 'happy birthday' or, 'congratulations'. Despite its name implying size-challenged sweet treats, the cupcakes are in fact averagely sized.

Rather than only providing run-of-the-mill flavours, refreshingly, more adventurous flavours of cupcakes are available (10LE-12LE). We filled up a box of six with choices including bubblegum, mint chocolate, caramel, blueberry, a mandatory red velvet and a peanut butter and chocolate creation named after the popular chocolate brand, Reese's.

To our delight, each cupcake was delicious; soft and fresh, with a generous dollop of airy, flavourful icing on top. The bubblegum flavour took us right back to our school days without being overly artificial-tasting whilst the caramel cupcake was surprisingly light. The blueberry was scrumptiously fruity and the mint chocolate flavour-match was incredible. The Reese's cupcake lived up to its name, with a wonderful balance between the rich chocolate sponge and thick peanut butter icing. Although equally as palatable, the red velvet cupcake was fairly tame in comparison.

Despite the plain interior, it's clear that Tiny Treats Cupcakes focus their efforts on supplying fresh, flavourful cupcakes. Their range of refreshingly unique and delectable flavours also gives them an edge on local competition.

No matter how long you think it's been, cafe and food trends in Cairo never seem to die out – specifically that simple little thing called a cupcake. In a completely unsurprising development, another dessert place in the Ard El Golf district of Heliopolis – CupCaker Baker – has joined the the incessant cupcake craze. Occupying a fuchsia and glass booth inside Sweet Corner, the venue is large and spacious, but a little uncomfortable and sparse as a result. All the walls are adorned with their signature garish, clashing bright pink and yellow colour scheme, making the shop space more appealing to a younger crowd. Specialising in cupcakes (10LE-15LE/each), CupCaker Baker also offers coffee and a range of flavoured milkshakes (15LE), while customised cakes and large orders can be prepared at two days notice. Despite promising a diverse selection online, the cupcake range available at the time of our visit appeared to be the more predictable offerings. We opted for a box of six cupcakes, including strawberry, red velvet, Nutella Ferrero Rocher, cinnamon, banana with nutella and an applecious. We also went for a mango milkshake, which, despite being made with mango ice-cream, was disappointing; incredibly smooth and milky, but lacking a distinct mango taste. The cupcakes were also somewhat disappointing; although each topping was generous and fluffy, the cupcake bases were far from the best we've had. Both the strawberry and banana cupcakes tasted – and looked - sickeningly artificial. Recommended for the very sweet toothed, the generous spread and fillings of Nutella in both the Ferrero Rocher and the banana options were almost enough to induce diabetes. Despite the slightly dry sponge, the red velvet tasted the best as it sported a flavourful, buttery icing. Our least favourite was the cinnamon; although there was a strong tang of cinnamon and a fluffy cream topping, the sponge was both dry and oddly grainy. Lastly, the applecious was an interesting combination of vanilla sponge, bitter chocolate chips, apple icing and sticky caramel sauce. Unfortunately, with an overload of artificial flavourings, CupCaker Baker appears out of its depth amongst the overabundance of renowned cupcake places in the city.

With Brew & Chew satisfying the cravings of Maadi residents, and Dip n Dip spreading their fantastic desserts in New Cairo, Nasr City and 6 of October City, the sweet-toothed of Zamalek can be forgiven for feeling a little neglected – that is until now. Chocolate by name, chocolaty by nature, Joe’s Chocolate Bar on Taha Hussein Street could be the answer to every chocaholic’s dreams.

As a venue, Joe’s Chocolate Bar is divided into two floors; the top floor has nothing remarkable about it but allows smoking, while the ground floor is where the ‘chocolate is. Besides the melted chocolate-like decoration on the wall (which is installed upside down, so instead looks like chocolate waves) the calm lighting and wood walls create a relaxing and cosy ambiance to the place.

The items on the menu are limited and nothing grabbed our attention, but we opted for the Molten Chocolate Cake (47LE), Triple Chocolate Crepe (41LE) and their new special item – as the waiter was so keen to mention – Oreo Waffle (49LE).

The molten chocolate cake had a bold chocolate flavour and a very moist texture; the gooey centre had a fantastic pudding-like consistency, which shows that it was cooked to perfection and, overall, the dessert had a spot-on sweetness. On the other hand, we would have preferred that the ice cream was served separately, because the hot temperature of cake melted it quickly and made the top of the cake rather soggy.

The triple chocolate crepe was just as good, meanwhile; coming as three thin, light and fluffy triangular servings, each one was filled with a generous amount of melted milk chocolate, and drizzled with white, milk, and dark chocolate. We also asked for fruit (10LE) on the side which consists of mini cubes of kiwi, bananas, and strawberries, and it was surprisingly fresh even though it’s not strawberry season yet.

As for the Oreo waffle, we expected nothing more than a waffle with crushed Oreo on top, but, impressively, the waffle itself had an actual layer of Oreo in the middle. Despite the waffles needing a little more milk chocolate on top and being a bit chewy, they were largely soft with a slightly crispy exterior, and the flavour of the Oreo popped in every single bite.

Joe’s Chocolate Bar definitely impressed with their well-executed desserts and big flavours, but we felt that the variety on the menu is too safe and a bit limited for a dessert specialist. We’d very happily come back for the molten chocolate cake, though.